Steam-cooker for oil-bearing meal and the like.



' M. W. FAHERTY. STEAM COOKER FOR OIL BEARING MEAL AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 190a.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W 1 w A t k m M. W. FAHERTY. STEAM COOKER FOR 0I L BEARING MEAL AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1908.

909,773. Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

2 SHEETS-5HEBT 2.

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MICHAEL W. FAH-ERTY, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOB. TO ALFRED W. FRENCH, OF PIQUA, OHIO.

STEAM COOIER FOR OIL-BEARING .MIEAL AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Tan. 12, 1909.

I Application filed May 2, 1908. Serial No. 430,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MicnanL WV. FAHERTY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Steam-Cookers for Oil- Bearing Meal and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to improvements in continuous automatic cookers of the kind disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 852,058, granted to A. N. French April 30, 1907, which are used in oil mills for cooking the oil bearing meal preparatory to expressing the oil therefrom. In the said patented cooker a plurality of superimposed steam kettles are employed provided with bottom discharge openings so arranged that the meal discharges by gravity from-each kettle to the one next below, and the delivery of meal to a kettle is controlled by the quantity of meal therein. When meal is Withdrawn from the lowest kettle to form a cake for pressing, the level of the meal lowers in this kettle, which allows a corresponding amount of meal to discharge therein from the kettle next above and lower the level of meal in this second kettle, and in a similar manner the discharge of .meal from each kettle causes a corresponding quantity of meal to be delivered thereto from the kettle next above. Meal is fed to the top kettle automatically by suitable means, and when all the kettles have once been filled the quantity of meal in each kettle is kept substantially constant by the'stated operation of the cooker, and as the meal is delivered into the top and discharged from the bottom of each kettle and is not mixed but descends through the system in layers, a definite period of time, determined by the rate'at which the meal is drawn from the bottom kettle, is required for any particular batch of meal to pass through the cooker, so that by drawing the meal from the bottom kettle at regular in tervals, all of the meal is uniformly cooked and the services of a skilled meal cook are dispensed with. v

The ob ect of the present invention is to provide controlling valves, gates or devices for the discharge openings of the kettles which are positively operated by the meal accun'iulating in the kettles in such manner as to :.-utomatically control the passage of the mealithrough the cooker and govern the quantity of meal in the kettles to thereby insure a uniform and proper cooking of all of the meal without the services of a skilled meal cook.

In the accompanying drawings, consisting of two sheets: Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a steam cooker embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a fr "mentary sectional plan thereof. Fig. 3 1s a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, through the discharge spout of one oi the kettles, in line 3-3, 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a spout of modified construction. Figs. 5 and 6 are sections similar to Fig. 3 of two other modifications of the discharge spout and gate.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

The cooking or heating kettles or vessels A. are arranged in a descending series or one below the other so that the meal can'discharge by gravity through an opening or spout at the bottom of one kettle into the kettle next below. In the construction shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the kettles A are arranged in two stepped flights converging to a single kettle which is common to both flights and is over another or subkettle, but this arrangement it not essential to the automatic action of the cooker and. the kettles could be arranged in other ways so long as the meal can discharge from one to the other, for instance, as shown in said French patent, or one vertically over the other, as in the case of the two lowest kettles shown in the drawings hereof. Any suitable number of kettles may be employed, the cooker illustrated having six. The kettles can have h0llow bottoms a forming steam. chambers which are supplied with steam by the usual means (not shown) for cooking or heating the mail, or they can be of any other usual or suitable construction.

B represents the usual rotary stirrers or scrapers consisting of arms projecting horizontally in the lower portions of the kettles from central vertical shalfts b which are driven by usual or suitable mechanism. T he stirirrs scrape the meal from the bottoms of thrkv-lllcs and keep it. in motion so as to prevent the meal from scorching and positively move it to the discharge openings.

Each kettle with the exception of the last or sub-kettle, in the constructions shown in Figs. 1--3,.has a discharge spout C which do pends into the next lower kettle below the top thereof, and each discharge spout is pro-.

vided with acontrolling gate, valve or device D which is moved or shifted by the meal in the kettle in which it is located. when the.

meal iiccumulates to a predetermined height in the kettlelo stop or check the further de-. livery of meal to said kettle through thespout. One side of the spout is of less depth than the opposite side and the gate or valve consists of a plate hinged to and depending to, move in the kettles in the same direction as the stirrers, and they also produce a wavelike motion in the meal in the same direction. The gate or valve is located at oneor the other sideof the spout, depending upon the direction of motion of the meal in the kettlein which the spout is located, as the gate or valve should be at that side of the spout which is first reached by the meal rotating in the kettle, so that when the meal accumulates high enough in the kettle it will engage the gate or valve and by its motion swing and hold the gate over more or less toward the opposite side of the spout, as shown in I Fig. 3, thereby contracting the discharge opening of the spout more or less and checking or stopping the discharge of meal through the same. When, therefore, the meal in each kettle, except the first, accumulates to a predetermined height substantially at or somewhat above the lower endof the spout which discharges thereinto, the delivery of meal to the kettle will be stopped until enough meal is discharged from this kettle to lower its lev'el'and allow the gate or valve to swing open again and permit the delivery of meal thereto from the spout.

In the cooker shown in Figs, 13, the dis charge spouts C are located near the sides of the kettles and are comparatively short in a direction radially of the kettle, but the discharge opening or spout can. if desired, be

. madelon er, as shown at C, Fig-4t, to exteno near y to the center of the kettle so that the meal can discharge from the central as Well as from the side portion ot the kettle.

In this construction the gate D extends along one of the long sides, of spout. A long continuous opening or spout can be used, as shown, or a similar result can be secured by a plurality of small openings or spouts.

Fig. 5 shows a gate D? .iaving swell or curved back which has a tendency to ride on the surfaceof the meal and prevent the gate from swinging open after the passage of each wave of meal caused by the stirrcrs.

The gate thus constructed'is steadier in action than-the simple flat gate. I

The gates SllOWlllll Figs. 1-5 are all applied to spouts depend ng from the bottom of the kettles, but the swinging gate can also be used to control the discharge from an opening in the fiat bottom of the kettle,

as shown in Fig. 6, in which 0 represents 7 the opening and 1) the gate. The meal canrise soiiiewliat higher in the kettles when the depending discharge spouts are iiotused. in the various CUllzSLlUCUOllS described a pivoted gate is "employed wliiciris acted upon directly by the meal, but it is not iniciiaiiical iiis i'umenialities, wouldopei'ate in a similar manner to control the discharge .from the discliarge'spouts or openings to maintain substantially constant quantities of meal in the kettles. 'lhekettles are also preferably provided with the usual slide valves or gates it for closing the discharge openings when starting the cooker.

After all of the kettles are allowed to bescribcd means operate automatically in the manner stated to maintain a predetermined substantially constaiit'quantiiy of meal in each kettle except the first and prevent the meal from completely filling the ,kettles,

I claim as my invention:

1. The coinbiiiaiioii of a plurality of heating kettles or chambers for solid material arrai'iged iii a descending series and each kettle except the last having a bottom discharge opening arranged to discharge into a lower kettle, and a device which is positively operated by the material accumulating in one kettleto control the delivery of material come once filled-to the desired extent, the dethereto from a higher kettle and regulate the quantity of material in the kettles, substantially as set. forth.

2. The combination of a plurality of heating kettles, or chambers for solid material arranged in a descending series and each kettle except the last having a bottom discharge opening arranged to discharge into a lower kettle, means which cause a motion.

of the material in the kettlesyand a device which is moved by the moving material in one kettle when a predeterminedquantity.

of material accumulates in said kettle to more or less. stop the delivery of material thereto from the kettle which supplies the same, substantially as setforth. v

' 3. The 'combin ation'of a plurality of heat ing kettles or chambers for solid material arranged in a descending series and each kettle except the last having a bottom discharge opening arranged to discharge into a lower kettle, and a valve which is positively actuated 'hy the material-in one kettle when a srerleterrmned quantity of material accumulates in said kettle to control the delivery of niaterial'thereto from the kettle which supplies the same, substantially as set forth.

*1. The combination of a pluralityof heating kettles orjchambers' for solid material arranged in a descending series and each kettle except the last havin a bottom discharge opening arranged to is'charge-into avlower kettle, means which cause a motion of the material in the kettles, and a valve which is positively actuated by the motion of theme .terial in one'kewe when a predetermined quantity .of material accumulates in said kettle to control the delivery of material thereto from 'the kettle which supplies the same, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a plurality of heating kettles or chambers for solid material arranged in a descending series and each kettle except the last having a discharge spout which depends into a lower kettle, and movable valves for controlling said discharge spouts, the valve for each spout being positively actuated by the material in the kettle in which it is located when a predetermined quantity of material accumulates in said kettle to control the delivery of material from saidspont, substantially as set forth.

\Vitness my hand,,this 28th day of April,

1908. I MICHAEL W. FAHERTY.

Witnesses: CLARENCE CARTER,

.J. H. JoHxsoN. 

